


Shuichi’s Harem

by coolnool



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harem, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-16
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2019-11-19 06:55:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 15,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18132416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolnool/pseuds/coolnool
Summary: When Shuichi starts attending a new high school, he notices something odd. 5 of the students have fallen in love with him! Kokichi Ouma, Rantaro Amami, Kaito Momota, Kiibo, and Kaede Akamatsu all want Shuichi for themselves.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Kiibo isn’t mentioned in this chapter, he comes in the next one.
> 
> Also this is more of a joke then anything else (but not crack per se) so don’t take the entire thing too seriously if you don’t ship some of this.

Shuichi let out a satisfying sigh as he stood outside his new school. His uncle had gotten a new job, so he had moved out of the small town he had always lived in to a slightly bigger city. He didn't mind, though. Not a lot of people had considered Shuichi his friend, so he considered it lucky that he was getting a fresh start.

First days were always tough, especially in high school, but something was telling Shuichi that maybe it wouldn't be too bad. Hundreds of students with faces that he probably would never talk to passed by him, not taking a second glance at the dark-haired male standing still. Even though Shuichi was interested and maybe even a little excited, he didn't want to walk in. Who knew what could happen?

His eyes moved away from the huge school building and landed on all the students. Many of them were excited to be back, talking with their friends. Shuichi was a bit nervous, which wasn’t any different then normal.

"Hey, whatcha standing there for? Are you a statue?" The voice was coming from behind Shuichi, but he hesitated to look. Teasing. It was common to him at his old school, as a few people teased him all the time for wearing a hat all the time and other various reasons. Even though it's happened to Shuichi multiple times, it still set a pang in his heart. 

"Hey, don't be mean to him!" Another person said. It was a girl's voice. Eventually, Shuichi turns around to face the people talking to him.

Two boys and a girl. One of the boys had magenta-colored hair and a goatee, another had purple hair that seemed to defy gravity, and the girl had wavy blond hair. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Shuichi eventually asked them, "Ah, um, w-who are you guys?" 

The boy with purple hair grinned as he started to introduce himself. "I'm Kokichi Ouma! And I have an organization with 10,000 members!" The other two let out a groan. 

"Really, Kokichi?" The magenta-haired male gave him a disapproving look.

"Honestly, sometimes I wonder how I became friends with you. You lie so much it's not even funny,"the girl said as she pouts a bit. Her face returned to a smile as she faced Shuichi. "I'm Kaede Akamatsu, by the way!"

"And I'm Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars!" the other guy declared. Shuichi stared at him for a few seconds before questioning what Kaito said.

"Luminary... of the Stars? Is that an official title or something?" 

"Haha, no, it's just something Kaito likes to call himself. Cuz he's into space and all," Kokichi explained.

"It's not just something I like to call myself! It will be a real title someday!" Kaito argued.

"Yeah, right," Kokichi said in a sarcastic tone. The two continued to argue Kokichi seemed to be winning. Not wanting to interfere, Shuichi looked to Kaede.

"If only Rantaro was here, he would be able to settle this..." Kaede said with a sigh. Shuichi didn't know who Rantaro was just yet, but he figured that he would meet him soon. "Anyway, we should head to our first class. Do you mind if I see your schedule to see if we have the same classes?"

Shuichi felt a bit confused, wondering why Kaede was suddenly concerned on the classes they shared. Let alone the fact that this random group of people just decided to walk up to him of all people. Maybe that's just how students are here? He got out his schedule from his pocket.

Kaede let out a small squeal when she saw that Shuichi and herself shared 4 classes together. Shuichi honestly didn't understand why she was so excited. That doesn't usually happen with people you just met, right?

Kaito and Kokichi were still arguing until they heard Kaede's squeal. "What are you doing with him now?" Kaito asked.

"Just comparing schedules," Kaede replied. "Oh, by the way Shuichi, Rantaro's in our first class, so you'll get to meet him too."

"Ah, okay," Shuichi muttered. "Uh... we should get to our first class. I really don't want to be late on the first day of school."

"Yeah, he's right!" Kaito agreed. "Let's go!"

"Oh, by the way, I'm in your first, second, fifth, and seventh class periods," Kokichi told Shuichi.

"Wait, how did you know my schedule-" Shuichi started to ask, but Kokichi had already started to walk away. Shuichi let out a sigh. "I guess I should get going then..."

 

—

"Hello, I'm going to be your new teacher for Technology," said the teacher. "Please sit in alphabetical order with your last name."

"Huh? Rantaro's not here yet," Kaede said aloud as she went to sit in her seat in the front of the room. "He would usually sit next to me in this case, since both of our last names start with the same letter..." Kaede just assumed he was late like usual but she still thought that was a bit odd.

Shuichi took a seat near the back, since his last name began with an S. Kaito and Kokichi sat at a table to his left, seeming obviously annoyed that the two had to share a table, as M and O were the first letter of their last names, and they were right next to each other in the alphabet.

The teacher then started to call attendance.

"Kaede Akamatsu?"

"Here!"

"Rantaro Amami?"

"Ah, I'm here," said a kid that had just stumbled in the classroom, clumsily carrying his belongings. His hair was light green and he was dressed more casually then some of the other people. "Sorry, I got into a bit of trouble on the way here-“

"I see. Well, you came just in time. So I won't mark you tardy. Aoi Asahina?"

"Here!"

"Chihiro Fujisaki?"

"H-Here."

"Oh, I know you! Your previous teacher said you excelled at Technology. I hope you do well in this class~" said the teacher as he gave Chihiro a wink.

"Um, okay..." Chihiro said, attempting to smile even though they felt slightly pressured.

The teacher continued to call attendance.

"Kaito Momota?"

"Here!"

"Kokichi Ouma?"

"Obviously I'm here. If the seat next to Kaito was empty, you would know I'm absent. And if it's not, I'm here. You don't need to even call attendance. Just look to see which seats are empty." The room goes quiet as everyone stared at Kokichi.

The teacher appeared dumbfounded by Kokichi's comment. A few people laughed a bit at Kokichi's courage to say that, and eventually the teacher said, "Well, I want to call attendance this way, so deal with it or get kicked out."

Kokichi doesn't say anything back, and a few people gasp in surprise at the teacher's comeback.

"Shuichi Saihara?"

"Ah, here."

"Byakuya Togami?"

"I'm here." Shuichi glanced at the person sitting next to him and couldn't help but feel intimidated by him. Shuichi remembered that Byakuya's from that rich family. "Don't try to mess with me,” Byakuya told the detective. His eyes seemed to stare into Shuichi's soul as he crossed his arms.

"Uh... okay," Shuichi said. He had never even said anything, what was his deal? Shuichi hoped this Byakuya wasn't in any of his other classes.

 

—

 

Class went by quickly, and eventually, it was lunchtime. Which was good, because Shuichi was hungry. With his new found friends, Shuichi proceeded to walk to the cafeteria with them. It felt odd going to the cafeteria instead of the library, as Shuichi spent most of his lunchtime there so he could study.

When he arrived, Rantaro was there too, so he introduced himself to Shuichi. "Hey there! I'm Rantaro Amami, if you didn't know." He smiled a bit as he waved.

"I-I'm Shuichi Saihara." Shuichi stared at the ground.

"You're new, aren't you?

"Yeah..."

"Oh? You're a new student?" Kaito asked in surprise.

"Yeah, Kaito. You should've noticed that," Ouma told him.

"Man, you don't have to be so mean!"

"You don't have to be such an idiot!"

"Ugh! I was just wondering!"

"Guys, don't fight... I thought you were friends..." Rantaro said, trying to stop the commotion.

"Yeah! Rantaro's right!" Kaede agreed.

"We are not friends!" Kaito exclaimed. "The only reason I'm on good terms with him is because he lets us copy his homework! And he knows how to hack the online gradebook! Unlike him, Shuichi's actually nice!"

"Oh, uh,.. thanks." Shuichi blushed a bit. He had only met Kaito today, he didn’t know how he could judge someone to quickly. The five arrived at the cafeteria. Everyone had brought a packed lunch except Kokichi, who went into the line to get his. 

Shuichi looked at everyone, trying to keep track of them all. Kaede was the sweet one. Kaito was the astronaut dude? With some anger issues? Rantaro was the calm one. And Kokichi was the liar. This was a much better start then he had anticipated. Shuichi looked at each of them, wondering if he would be able to spend the rest of the year with these four. Maybe, he thought. Maybe.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the day starts to play out, and Shuichi meets Kiibo. But he also gets in some trouble with Kokichi.

Shuichi had his orchestra class right after lunch, so he left in that direction. He waved goodbye to Kaito and Kaede, who left in the opposite direction. Kokichi and Rantaro, however, followed Shuichi.

"Ah... what class are you going to?" Shuichi asked.

"I'm going to general music," Kokichi said.

"I'm going to Art," Rantaro told him. "How about you?"

"Orchestra," Shuichi replied.

"Wow, really-? I'm in orchestra too! What do you play?" Kokichi exclaimed in awe.

Before replying, Shuichi thought about what the dictator had said. It didn't seem to add up. If Kokichi had general music, why does he also have orchestra? No students take general music and orchestra in the same year. You can only take one or the other. Which also meant...

"You're lying, aren't you?" Shuichi said as he narrowed his eyes.

Kokichi widened his eyes for moment, then said, "Wow! I didn't think you'd know!"

"Oh, c'mon, Kokichi. Stop assuming everyone's stupid. It's not even possible to take orchestra and general music at the same time," Rantaro sighed.

"Then why didn't you say anything, huh?" Kokichi said.

"I thought it was obvious enough," Rantaro shrugged. "So, do you play violin, or viola?" he asked Shuichi, glancing at the violin (or viola) shaped case he was holding in his right arm. 

"Violin," Shuichi replied.

"That's pretty cool. One of my sisters plays violin. She said the two directors of the orchestra are very nice, so I'm sure you'll be fine."

"How many sisters do you even have, Rantaro?" Kokichi laughed. Before Rantaro could respond, the three reached another bend, Shuichi went left to orchestra and Kokichi and Rantaro went left to general music and art. 

"Bye!" Shuichi called out just as he turned away. They didn't reply, so Shuichi got nervous that they didn't hear him. He thought of saying bye again, but that felt pretty stupid, so he didn't.

He arrived at the orchestra room just as the bell rang. There were at least 35 other people in the big room and a lot of chairs. Shuichi didn't know where to sit. In most orchestras, violin players sat left of the conductor, so he gazed at the seats in that direction. He didn't have enough courage to sit up front, so he took a seat in the middle and set his case down.

Shuichi glanced at his stand partner (the person next to him) and couldn't help but notice he looked very... robotic. His hands looked like it was made of some kind of machinery. Shuichi didn't dare ask, but he was still very curious. Everyone was talking to one another, but Shuichi had no one to talk to.

There were two directors, both of them women. The stood on the conductor's podium, and after a few moments, everyone quieted down. The director said, "Hey guys! I'm Ms. Hanamoto! New year, am I right?"

Many of the students groaned out some type of yes. "So... we have a lot of new students..." 

Shuichi looked at the ground. He hoped he wouldn't have to introduce himself in front of the class just because he was new. The teacher/director continued.

"Many juniors are here as well and are taking this as an honors class. I'd like you to introduce yourself to your stand partner. You're going to be sitting next to them for some time, so I think you should get to know them!"

Shuichi let out a restricted groan. It was better then introducing himself to the entire class, but still. The robot looking person turned to him and stammered, "M-My name is Kiibo..." 

"I'm, ah, Shuichi Saihara," the other said. He didn't know what to say next, so he just stared at the carpet. The teacher said to only introduce themselves, after all.

"Are you- Are you friends with Kokichi? I saw you at lunch with him..." Kiibo asked Shuichi. The detective raised his head and glanced at Kiibo's bright blue eyes. He must have been staring for long, because Kiibo's eyes widened and he said, "S-Sorry! Was that too personal? It might sound like I'm stalking you, but that's not the case!"

"No... ah, sorry." Shuichi hesitated and considered the question Kiibo was asking. Was he friends with Kokichi? It's only his first day, so Shuichi wasn't sure. "I-I guess I'm friends with him?"

"Oh... so you are friends with him," Kiibo said.

Curious, Shuichi had to say something. "You're saying that like it's a bad thing."

"W-Well... I used to be friends with him, but he always teases me a bunch, so I don't really like him," Kiibo explained.

"Teased you?" Shuichi did remember Kokichi argued with Kaito a lot, but that seemed more playful then anything else. "For what?"

"Well... he always wants to examine me because I'm a robot, and he thinks that I'm not as capable just because of th-" Kiibo got cut off after the director stood on the podium. The rest of orchestra class went by, and the two didn't get a chance to speak again. Shuichi was really confused, though? How was Kiibo a robot? He wasn’t sure if it was some kind of joke. Shuichi wanted to ask about it later after class ended, but when the bell rang, Kiibo had left in the opposite direction.

—

Shuichi glanced at his schedule to see what he had next. It was Science. He groaned and headed his way upstairs, gazing at all the rooms to make sure he was going into the right one. As he entered the room, he took a seat near the middle, getting out a book in the process as he read silently before class started. However, Shuichi was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. He turned in annoyance, but softened a bit, realizing it was Kokichi.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing! I'm just glad I have this class with you, nishishi." Kokichi gave the other a huge grin. Shuchi was about to turn away, but he remembered he was going to ask Kokichi about Kiibo.

"By the way, um, do you know a student named Kiibo?" Shuchi asked.

"Kiibo? Nope, never heard of him! You probably got the wrong person," Kokichi shrugged as he got his planner out to copy the events on the board.

"But he said he knows you. Are you sure?" Right as Shuichi finished, he realised why Kokichi said what he said. "Wait. You're... you're lying, aren't you?"

"No I’m not.” Kokichi looked at Shuichi, obviously annoyed with narrowed eyes. "Stop pestering me,” he told him in a completely different tone than Shuichi was used to.

Shuichi just wanted an actual answer from the dictator. Why was he avoiding it?

"No wonder Kiibo doesn't like you," Shuichi muttered, not intending Kokichi to hear that, but he did. Kokichi wasn't sure what to say in response, and it was already too late. Shuichi had opened up his book again and continued to read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry these chapters aren’t the longest. Um... I hope you like it so far! Updates will probably be on Wednesdays or Thursdays every week.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi asks Kaito for advice about what happened with Kokichi. However, when he walks home, Shuichi sees Kokichi... crying..?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, despite the summary the entire chapter is still pretty fluffy and the last bit isn’t really angst, it’s more just an out of the blue thing. Hope you enjoy reading!

Shuichi was starting to get nervous. Kokichi didn't say a word to him the rest of the day. He regretted what he had said. He shouldn't have said that about anyone, especially since he only met Kokichi today.

Kokichi was in his last class of the day, Art, but Shuichi didn't have the courage to apologize. What if Kokichi just got more mad at him? Shuichi didn't know him well enough. 

However, Kaito was in his class, and Kaito knew Kokichi better then Shuichi did. So he decided to ask the astronaut-in-training for some advice.

"Hey, Kaito?" he asked, lightly tapping the taller one on the shoulder. Shuichi noticed he was coloring a drawing of outer space. It was a bit messy.

"Hm? What is it?" Kaito glanced up as he grinned. 

"Uh, I guess I was just wondering if you could offer some advice," Shuichi stammered as he looked down and gulped.

"Oh, yeah! That's fine, I'm glad you came to me for it!" Kaito exclaimed. He put the marker he was coloring with down and looked at Shuichi. "I'm all ears!"

"O-Oh, okay..." Shuichi muttered, starting to get a bit nervous. From what he's seen the past day, Kaito didn't like Kokichi very much, so he was sure that whatever Kaito suggested wouldn't be good on Kokichi's side. "Basically, I accidentally said something rude about Kokichi and I think he heard me. So he's been giving me the silent treatment for, ah, pretty much the rest of the day."

Kaito looked at Kokichi, who was quietly doodling something by himself. "He is? Damn! He's never done that to me before, you must have really hurt his feelings. What did you say?"

Shuichi closed his eyes in a moment of frustration. Why was he avoiding helping him? Did Kaito even realize it himself? He didn't want to be rude though and say that, so he ended up answering Kaito. "I... I said 'No wonder Kiibo doesn't like you.' B-But I don't know if you know who Kiibo is."

"Oh. Oh god." Kaito sighed. Did he know Kiibo? "No wonder he isn't talking to you."

"H-Huh?" Shuichi wondered aloud. "Did something happen between Kokichi and Kiibo?"

"It's not really in my place to talk..." Kaito said as he looked at Kokichi, and then back at Shuichi. "They used to be okay friends, then Kiibo invited Kokichi to his house. Something must've happened, because the two never spoke again. Kokichi always got really annoyed if anyone ever brought it up."

"I never knew that..." Shuichi muttered.

"Well of course you didn't," Kaito said in an obvious tone. "You just met him today."

Shuichi didn't respond, so Kaito continued. "You'll probably find out more if you ask Kiibo directly. Maybe invite him over or something, cuz he's a nice guy."

Shuichi thought about that. They'd have to meet up outside, because his uncle would never allow Kiibo at his house. Then he remembered about Kiibo saying he was a robot. "A-Also, I had another question. Is Kiibo actually a robot? Because he told me that and I didn't know if he was—"

"Oh, that? Yeah, he's actually a robot! Pretty cool, am I right?" Kaito replied.

Shuichi nodded. He seemed so humanlike... it was close to impossible to believe that. "Uh, well, thanks."

"No prob."

—

After school ended, Shuichi pocketed his bus money, choosing to walk home instead. He noticed Kokichi was already on his way and he followed him. Maybe he could ask him about it, or at least say sorry. Shuichi was nervous earlier about it, but he felt better now. He walked a bit faster, attempting to catch up with Kokichi, but he got cut off when a hand touched his shoulder.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, as he turned around and realised who is was. "Kaede?"

"Shuichi! I'm so glad you're here!" The blonde giggled a bit as she said it. "I didn't know you walked home too!"

"Um, I u-usually don't. I'm just saving my bus money today," Shuichi said.

"That's a good idea! You save money and you get exercise!" Kaede noticed.

"Oh, thanks." Shuichi looked up ahead and noticed Kokichi had ducked into a nearby alleyway. He and Kaede walked past it and noticed that Kokichi was sitting down, his head in his knees. He was shivering a bit, but Shuichi couldn’t really tell. What was he doing? Was Kokichi okay? Shuichi paused for a moment longer, eyeing Kokichi suspiciously.

Seeing Shuichi's odd look, Kaede said, "He always does this every day. It's not as big of a deal as it seems."

Even though she said that, Shuichi didn't feel any better. "I-I'm actually going home this way, so sorry I have to cut it short," he lied.

Kaede raised an eyebrow, probably aware of what Shuichi was going to do. She didn't seem to care enough, though because she said, "Okay! Be careful, alright! I'll see you tomorrow!"

Shuichi waved bye as he headed down the alleyway. He approached Kokichi, and noticed he was shaking. Shuichi tapped Kokichi's shoulder softly, hoping to ask him why he was sitting like that, and apologize for earlier too. 

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Kokichi screamed as he pushed Shuichi away, causing the detective to slam into the other side of the alley. Shuichi could now get a clear look at the supreme leader's face, but was shocked.

"A-Are you crying!?" he exclaimed.

"I said go a-away!" Kokichi yelled back. "God! Can't you... can't you listen to me!?"

Shuichi didn't know what to do. Kaede said he did this every day, maybe he could ask Kokichi about it tomorrow? He scurried away from the alleyway, taking a different route so he wouldn't have to talk to Kaede again. Shuichi just wanted to be alone.

Maybe he should just take the bus from now on...


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi gets a visitor at his house.

When Shuichi got home, there was no one there. His uncle was probably off on another case. He ate a snack by himself and got started on some homework. He still had a hard time navigating around the house, as Shuichi had only moved in a week ago. He didn't know any of his neighbors and didn't feel like meeting them either. Shuichi did see one of his neighbors was about his age though. He recalled seeing a girl with long brown hair in pigtails at his bus stop, but she seemed a bit intimidating.

Shuichi finished his homework, and thought about what to do next. He had his shift working in an hour, so he didn't have the entire day to himself unfortunately. Maybe he could hang out with one of his new friends..? There were so many choices, but not enough time. Starting to get anxious, Shuichi noticed his hands starting to get sweaty. He paced around for a bit until he got interrupted by the doorbell going off.

Shuichi was actually starting to shake. He was home alone. No one should be at his house. He wiped his sweaty hands on his pants and walked to the door. Shuichi opened it and saw a recognizable head of purple hair. "Um..."

"Hi, Saihara-chan!" Kokichi said happily. Was he pretending like nothing happened between them? Shuichi raised an eyebrow, unsure on how to respond. Sure, Kokichi was a liar, but to this extent?

"How... How'd you get my address?" were the only words Shuichi could say. The thought of him apologizing crossed his mind. Again.

"Simple! I followed you home, nishishi!" Kokichi exclaimed happily.

"Uh... that's a bit creepy..." Shuichi said. From what he's seen so far, Kokichi is a bit odd. He started to close the door on him, but the dictator forced himself in, all whilst grinning at the detective. Shuichi felt uncomfortable, but tried not to look it as he glanced at Kokichi nervously again.

"Oh, c'mon silly! I'm not a creep! I'm just your friend~" Kokichi jokes. He sits on a nearby chair, and places a hand on the dining table he was sitting at.

"C-Can you not... uh... invite yourself in..?" Shuichi asked, trying to keep his temper. He didn't want to be rude to Kokichi, especially after what happened.

"Why not?"

"I-Uh, my uncle doesn't like fingerprints on the table. And he doesn't let anyone in the house..." Shuichi trailed off.

"Awww... I guess I'll leave! WAHHH!" Kokichi started to cry, startling Shuichi.

"A-Ah... you okay?" Shuichi muttered.

"No! You're such a meanie! I thought I was giving you a second chance after hurting my feelings at school today... but I guess not!" Kokichi continues to weep.

"Um... sorry... he's really strict," Shuichi confessed.

"Strict? Sounds like his problem. Why should you care?" Suddenly the tears are gone from Kokichi's face, and he was talking in his normal slightly sarcastic sounding tone.

Shuichi thought of that. His uncle was his guardian, but Shuichi needed to follow his rules or else he'd be in huge trouble. "Maybe that works for you... but that won't really work in my situation."

"Your situation? What do you mean?" He's got to be kidding by now. Who would ask such a personal question this quickly into the conversation?

"Just... that's too personal," Shuichi stated.

"Oh, too personal, hm?" Kokichi sounded obviously annoyed, putting air quotes around the phrase 'too personal'."So I just gotta know you better to find out, huh?"

"I-I..." Shuichi was speechless. Sure, that's one way to put it. But Kokichi said it like it was a challenge.

"Alright then, Saihara-chan." Shuichi flinched a bit at the nickname that the purple-haired male had given him. "I'm gonna find you out. I'm gonna know you more than you know yourself." He jumped out of his chair.

"Um-"

"Since your uncle apparently has 'problems' with people being over, I guess I gotta go! Sorry!" Kokichi waved as he hopped off the porch. Shuichi watched the last of him disappear as he closed the door. Still, the conversation continued to replay in the detective's head.

Why did he need to say that? He didn't know whether to hate or love Kokichi. The guy was so impulsive, lying one minute, making a promise the next. Was the crying fake? Was Kokichi still mad at him from earlier? And most of all, was Kokichi actually going to know Shuichi more than Shuichi knew himself?

Shuichi's train of thought suddenly got interrupted by the garage opening. "Ah, fuck-" 

The detective quickly ran to his room, where some study material was already laying out. He looked over the subject, but the words didn't make sense. All Shuichi could see was the guy's purple hair, his checkered scarf, and his odd outfit. Why was he thinking of Kokichi again!?

"Shuichi!!" a voice called as the garage door opened. His uncle.

"Yes?" Shuichi called back.

"Alright, just making sure you're here," his uncle replied.

"How did the case go?" Shuichi asked.

"Not very well. I'll have to investigate more tomorrow." His uncle narrowed his eyes as he said, "Don't you need to be on your shift working?" 

"Yeah. Um, I'm just looking over this and I'll go." Shuichi almost forgot.

"Okay. Alright. I'll see you then." His uncle left the room and Shuichi sighed. It sounded like he wouldn't be home tomorrow either.

Maybe that was a good thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soo... I hope you’re enjoying the story so far! i plan to keep this pretty fluffy! don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribble


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi’s anxiety gets the better of him.

Shuichi already had a project, a test on Friday and plans with Kokichi Tuesday evening.

And, to top it all off, he had to write an essay due tomorrow.

"Sounds fun," Rantaro said as Shuichi finished explaining how busy he already was. The two were heading to Language Arts, which wasn't either of their favorite class, but hey. It could be worse.

Shuichi groaned, which was quite unlike him in Rantaro's eyes. He thought Shuichi was this studious person by his usual demeanour and his uncle's position.

"What are you doing with Kokichi?" Rantaro asked, a bit curious.

"Well... ah," Shuichi hesitated. "I'm not really sure yet. Not at my house though. I-I'm still pretty new to this place, so I don't know my way around here properly yet anyway." He laughed nervously as he finished.

"You guys should go to Froyo Ma!" Rantaro exclaimed. "It's a great froyo place."

"Froyo...?" Shuichi said. He wasn't sure if he should be eating a lot of sweet food. His uncle always said it was bad... "Maybe."

The two arrived in the classroom just in time. Kaede had already arrived and grinned as she waved in their direction. Shuichi and Rantaro walked over to her as she said, "Here, I saved seats for you two!" Kaede gestured to the two empty seats to the left of her.

"Ah, t-thanks..." Shuichi stammered. He took the seat next to her, and Rantaro sat next to Shuichi.

The teacher explained a project that was going on. It was a group project, and Shuichi was in a group with Rantaro and Kaede. The trio worked on a lot of it in class, but they weren't able to finish. Rantaro let out a sigh as he looked over what they had so far. "We'll have to work on this after school today to have enough for tomorrow."

"Oh, right..." Shuichi muttered.

"We should meet up!" Kaede chirped. She made it sound like a good thing.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking," Rantaro replied. "My house is pretty big, so I think—"

"Oh, c'mon, you don't need to brag about being rich!" Kaede said in annoyance. "Besides, last time I went to your house, I couldn't focus at all because of all your sisters."

"Y-You're rich!?" Shuichi said in surprise.

"Well... I wouldn't say rich..." Rantaro hesitated before Kaede gave him a look.

"Whatever. We should do it at my house anyway, if that's okay with you," Kaede said. Shuichi and Rantaro nodded.

"What time should we do it?" Shuichi asked.

"Eh, I don't know. Sometime after school." Rantaro shrugged just as the bell rang.

—

Shuichi's last few classes went by quite fast. He pulled out his phone during dismissal, only to see a text reflecting back into his eyes. A text from Kokichi.

_Kokichi: We still on for tonight??_

Shuichi glanced at the text for a few seconds in confusion, when he realized what Kokichi meant.

Shit.

He forgot about his plans with Kokichi. But he was also supposed to work on the project at Kaede's house. They had discussed that Kaede would pick Shuichi up and Rantaro would come a bit later. 

And Shuichi had agreed to the entire thing, evidentially forgetting that he was supposed to spend the day with Kokichi.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

He'd never done something like this before. As he pushed the door along with the countless others leaving the school, the sweat of worry began to build. Shuichi got on the bus, out of breath since he had thought he was going to be late. The bus was almost full and he struggled to find a seat.

Shuichi's breaths began to grow shaky as he started to think of how to respond to Kokichi. Every time he got his phone out to type out a proper response, his hands would tremble and his mind would freeze up and go blank.

This wasn't good.

Shuichi just formed this friendship with Kokichi, he couldn't give up on something like this, yet he did give up, because he did think that it was dumb, and Kokichi would probably hate him for this later on, but Shuichi didn't care because why would anybody care about him anyway, not even his own parents or his goddamn uncle gives a shit about him and oh no his eyes were growing watery this wasn't what he needed right now no no no no no—

"You good?" The voice sounded bored, or something like that. He was being teased now, that had to be it.

Shuichi turned to the window and stayed silent, obviously not in the mood for a conversation.

The other person didn't stop. "You know, it's our stop. We need to go." _We need to go? Are they at the same stop as me?_ Shuichi didn't realize it at first but they were right. He stared at the floor and got his backpack, walking in the aisle way to get off. The other person was in front of him, her brown pigtails following each side of her. Suddenly Shuichi recognised.

Once they got off and the bus drove off, the other girl and Shuichi started walking to one another's house. Even though he wasn't up for conversation earlier, now he was curious about this girl. "H-Hey!" he called out. She was walking quicker then Shuichi normally did. Was she trying to get away from him?

"So now you want to talk." She turned around and glanced at him darkly. "What do you want?"

Oh no. She sounded mad. Shuichi looked at her nervously. "Uh, actually, it's nothing—I-I mean... you're my neighbor, right?"

"I'm pretty sure," she answered as she walked up her driveway to her front door. Shuichi didn't really know how to respond so he asked her another question.

"U-Um...What's your name..? I... my name's Shuichi," he stammered quickly.

"Maki," she said just as she shut the door.

Shuichi was dumbfounded by Maki suddenly shutting the door on him. I guess she doesn't like me very much...

Just as he got home, his phone buzzed. Twice. Shuichi didn't want to see the messages, but he was also curious, too, so he ended up getting his phone out anyway. There was one message from Kokichi and one for Kaede.

_Kokichi: Ya there or what? Is this not Shuichi's number lo_ l

_Kaede: Hey!! Can you make sure to bring some markers for the poster? My sister somehowi got ahold of my own and I can't find them,,, hehe. It's fine if you can't. (* ^ ω ^)_

Shuichi wasn't sure which one to respond to first. Kokichi's message was sent first, so he had probably been waiting for him to respond for longer. Typing quickly, Shuichi texted back:

_Shuichi: this is my number sorry for not responding earlier I'm here now_

He read Kaede's message, glancing at the emoji? Thing? What was that thing at the end? How did Kaede type that in? Shuichi realized he was thinking stupid things again and started to text a response.

_Shuichi: I think I have some markers, I'll bring them._

He felt like he was lying. What if he wasn't able to work with Rantaro and Kaede because of Kokichi?

Shuichi knew he could plan something with Kokichi on another day, but his uncle would be home then, and he knew that his uncle wouldn't ever give permission.

There wasn't enough time to do both, since he only had an hour and a half until his uncle got home and he had to work his shift. This really wasn't good.

Maybe this is why Shuichi's uncle said that friends are a waste of time. If Shuichi wasn't friends with Kokichi, this wouldn't be an issue. Maybe it was that easy.

If Shuichi stopped being friends with Kokichi...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! I appreciate all the kudos I’ve gotten so far! I did make it a bit longer but most of these chapters are going to be a bit less than 1000 words so yeah. 
> 
> also new headcanon: shuichi types lowercase when he's nervous cuz he forgets about capitalising and all that


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi basically gets worked up for nothing.

_Kokichi: Ok good lmao_   
_Kokichi: So you mind if I come to your house to pick you up?_   
_Kokichi: Heyyy ya still there?_   
_Kokichi: Whatever lol ur just messing with me i'm coming anyway_

Damn it.

Shuichi thought not responding to the liar would stop him, and that way they could call off plans, but it only added fuel to him. If Kokichi did come to his house, Shuichi couldn't escape the situation.

Unless... he left the house.

_No, that's not right..._ Shuichi thought. _I couldn't do something like that._

So he ended up staying at his house.

But he ended up staying under the table, with his head tucked into his hands, dreading the moment Kokichi would ring his doorbell and he'd have to open it and pretend like everything was fine even though he was neglecting a school project and Kaede would be mad and so would Rantaro and he'd be back to having _no_ friends to care, _nobody_ and he'd be. All. Alone.

And he couldn't be alone. Not again. Not when he already had a new start at a new school and—

He heard the doorbell ring. And Shuichi could definitely spot the purple mass of hair that was awaiting him to open it. He didn't answer, hoping that would stop him.

The doorbell rang again. He could hear a muffled "Hello?" from outside. Shuichi waited.

There was no more sound.

But if Kokichi wasn't ringing the doorbell, why was he still at the door? Shuichi looked every few seconds, wondering if he would hear another ring. He still didn't. Maybe Kokichi had left?

Shuichi stood up and just then the door opened. His eyes widened as suddenly Kokichi entered his house, even thought he was _sure_ he had locked the door and everything. "H-How...?" Shuichi was speechless.

"Nishishi..." Kokichi laughed. "I can't believe you thought locking the door would stop me."

"But... did you..? Did you pick the lock?" Shuichi asked on astonishment.

"Yep yep yeppers! You got it!" Kokichi exclaimed.

"Wow... um..." Shuichi didn't know how to respond. A beep from his phone interrupted the silence between the two of them. Shuichi didn't have to look to know it was Kaede. Now he'd have to explain the situation to Kokichi. Great.

"So, do you wanna go anywhere? My car's parked right out there," Kokichi said.

"Uh... I have plans with Kaede and Rantaro. Sorry," Shuichi confessed. He regretted telling Kokichi this far into it, but there's nothing he could do now anyway.

"Ooh! A threesome?" Kokichi joked.

"W-What the hell!? No..?" Shuichi exclaimed. "What kind of person do you think I am?"

"Nishishi! You know I was just kidding, right?"

"Yeah, but still..." Shuichi trailed off. "The three of us are just meeting up at Kaede's house to work on a project."

"And you're saying I can't go with you?" Kokichi pouted. "What a meanie."

"Funny for you to say that," Shuichi muttered, getting annoyed at the dictator.

"H-Hey... are you calling me a meanie now? Just because you can't come?" Kokichi stammered. His tone was shaky, and when Shuichi turned to him, he saw tears in Kokichi's purple eyes.

"I-I..."

"A-All I wanted w-was to spend some time with you, but you took advantage. W-Why? Why does this _always_ happen to _m-me_?" Kokichi broke off his gaze with the detective.

On the other hand, Shuichi wasn't sure whether to believe the liar. It wasn't that hard. He was related to a detective for a reason, right? But every time Shuichi was starting to consider the facts, all he could see was Kokichi.

In that alley. Sobbing into his hands.

Shuichi felt bad for Kokichi. Maybe he could compromise. But now all he could hear was his uncle's voice. His uncle had always said compromises were bad. Either the other person should agree with the original plan or there should be no deal at all. However, Shuichi was pretty sure that didn't apply to friends. But then again, Shuichi never really had any proper friends, so how was he supposed to know?

Kokichi's soft sniffles brought Shuichi back to reality. "P-Please...?

Ugh. Shuichi couldn't handle this. "Fine! Okay. I'll go with you, but we'll have to spend the day with Kaede."

Suddenly the sniffing went away. "Really?" Kokichi exclaimed.

"Um, yeah. I'm glad you're better." It seemed a bit fake, but Shuichi didn't want to call Kokichi out for it.

"So let's get in my car then! Yay!" Kokichi dashed out the door.

"W-Wait!" Shuichi smiled as he quickly gathered his things. He followed the purple-haired male down the lawn and into Kokichi's small dark blue car.

As he went inside the passenger seat Shuichi was overwhelmed by a lot of purple. There was this purple fizzy drink laying in every cup holder the car had. There was also a purple bag of some grape flavoured candy. "What's all this?" he asked, pointing to the soda.

"This?" Kokichi looked at where Shuichi was pointing. "Nishishi! It's Panta! I looooove Panta, by the way~"

"Uhm..."

"Yeah, I know I'm weird. But it tastes good!" Kokichi replied to Shuichi's hesitation.

"A-Actually, I was going to ask, what's Panta?"

Silence. "Are you okay?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so I'm glad you guys are enjoying this so far! I know it's a bit slow here in the beginning but things will build up a lot later on! I feel like this is focusing too much on Kokichi's relationship with Shuichi (lmao it's probably because I love Oumasai too much and it shows), so I'm going to try to have him with some of the others too. Thanks for reading and see you in the next update!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi learns what Panta is and goes to Kaede's house.

"You've got to be kidding me." Kokichi continued to stare at Shuichi with that jaw dropping expression.

"Why are you so shocked?" Shuichi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Panta's, like, the best thing on the planet. Here, good thing I have an extra bottle." Kokichi fished around in the glove compartment and somehow pulled out another bottle of the purple stuff.

"I-Uhm, no thanks. My uncle said that soda isn't very good for you anyw—"

"Oh, please," Kokichi scoffed. "All I hear from you is 'my uncle this' and 'my uncle that'. When are you gonna start making decisions on your own?"

Shuichi didn't know what to say, and attempted to nervously smile. "I... I just want to trust him.."

"Well, y'know, your uncle doesn't seem very trustworthy." Kokichi glanced at the car they were in and took in a breath. "Anyway! Let's get going!" He forced the bottle of purple soda into Shuichi's hand. It was cold, the perfect temperature to drink. But Shuichi didn't really want to try it, so he just kept it in his hand as Kokichi started up the car. "Where are you going again, by the way?" Kokichi asked as he left the neighborhood.

"Ah, I think Kaede's house. The address is right here..." Shuichi started to pull his phone out but Kokichi waved his hand away.

"I know where her house is."

"Really? You've been to your house?" Shuichi asked.

"Obviously." Kokichi rolled his eyes. "She's my friend. Also," he glanced at Shuichi's hand, "are you going to drink that, because if you're not I'll take it."

Shuichi started at the Panta still in his hand. "Oh... uh," he stated. He didn't want to be rude? But? It sounded like Kokichi wanted the Panta anyway? So he said, "Sure. Take it," and handed it to him when the car stopped at a traffic light.

Soon enough, the two arrived at Kaede's house. "Wow, her house is pretty big," Shuichi remarked as he opened the door.

"Yeah. I don't know why she makes a big deal of Rantaro being rich, she seems rich herself," Kokichi agreed.

They walked up to the door and Shuichi rang the doorbell. "The doorbell doesn't work," Kokichi told him, knocking on the door instead. A moment later, Kaede answered the door.

"H-Hey Kaede!" Shuichi said as he smiled.

Kaede hesitated, looking at Shuichi at confusion for some reason. Her eyes fell on Kokichi and realisation hit in? Maybe? She grinned back and said, "Hey!" Kokichi started to giggle but Kaede gave him a look.

"So is Rantaro here yet?"

"Um, no! But, we can do whatever you want!" Kaede replied.

"Are you sure?" Shuichi said hesitantly. "I think we should at least get started on the project."

Just then, Shuichi heard steps coming up from the nearby stairs. Another girl walked up the stairs, but—

"Kaede? Wait..." Shuichi looked back and forth to the girl he was talking to and the girl that just walked up the stairs. The two looked exactly alike. "You have an identical twin!?"

Kaede (??) burst into laughter, while the other Kaede gave her sister a look. Kokichi giggled seeing the scene play out. "Really, Kami?" the other Kaede told the first Kaede (Kami?) with a pouty face.

Shuichi could recognize that pouty face anywhere. "S-So you're not Kaede?" he exclaimed in shock.

"Oh my god. I told you not to do that again!" Kaede (the real one) yelled.

Kami (Kaede's twin?) said through laughs, "Sorry!! It's just so funny!"

"No it isn't! It's messes with people, and now Shuichi's confused!" Kaede argued. She turned to Shuichi and said in a softer tone, "You're fine, right?"

"Can you _actually_ stop doing that!?" Kokichi suddenly said. He glared at Kaede. "Shuichi's not a little kid, y'know. Stop treating him like one. Besides, you don't do that with anyone else." Kaede started to argue back, which only made Shuichi more confuzzled.

"A-Ah, so let me get this straight," Shuichi said. "You're Kaede." He pointed to Kaede. "You're Kami, Kaede's... identical twin sister..?" He pointed to Kami.

The twins nodded.

"Oh my god." Shuichi turned to Kaede and raised an eyebrow. "Why haven't you ever told me about this?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. I guess I've never brought it up." Kaede glanced at Kokichi and tried to pin the blame on him. "Kokichi should've told you anyway."

"Of _course_ you have to find a way to make it my fault," Kokichi groaned. "Why is it always me that has to—"

He was cut off by the knock of the door. Kami shoved past Kokichi and Shuichi and answered the door. It was expectantly Rantaro.

"Oh, hey Kami," Rantaro waved politely as he stepped in. He noticed Shuichi was here along with Kokichi too. "Hi Shuichi! Sorry if this seems rude, but why'd you bring Kokichi? He's not working with us on the project."

"Oh, ah..." Shuichi trailed off. It was a bit of a long story, and he didn't know how to summarize it all quickly enough.

"Well basically me and Shuichi planned to hang out today since his uncle has another case or something but then Shuichi also needed to work on the project with you two so he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do so then I suggested that I could just come along and he could do the two things at once and I also knew where Kaede's house was too so I decided to drive him there and Shuichi saw all my Panta and he made that cute face he always makes when he's confused and... uh..." Kokichi's face reddened after saying that last part. 

Shuichi stared at him. Kokichi was embarrassed? This guy could lie to anyone, hack the school grades, be obsessed with purple soda, but this is what gets him? "W-Wait, did you say I was...?"

"Cute, huh? Interesting," Rantaro muttered in that thoughtful tone. He didn't seem the slightest bit surprised.

"You guys are weird. Why does Kaede have such weird friends?" Kami left saying that.

"Guys, stop getting off topic," Kaede started to pout. "Let's just get started. I have the poster board. Um... Rantaro can work on the writing, Shuichi on the pictures, and I'll make decorations!" 

"Are you shitting me? You have the easiest job!" Kokichi exclaimed as he crossed his arms.

"Um, you're not working on the project. Stop complaining." Kaede looked away as she opened up a pack of markers. Kokichi groaned.

Rantaro looked nervously from Kokichi to Kaede. "Well, I do think it's a _bit_ unfair..." 

Kaede glared at him. "Oh c'mon, you too?" She looked towards Shuichi for some kind of comeback.

Shuichi looked at everyone else in the room. "Honestly, I don't think my job is that hard, but you're giving Rantaro too much work and yourself too little." Rantaro nodded in agreement.

"Ugh, you two are no fun at all! I don't want to work on the project anymore!" Kaede stormed to her room, leaving the three boys alone with each other.

"Uh... what are we going to do now?" Shuichi definitely didn't want a bad grade because of something like this. Damn it. He shouldn't have spoken his mind.

"Don't worry," Rantaro smiled, obviously noticing Shuichi's hand trembling and his habit of fidgeting  a lot. He glanced at Kokichi. "You wanna join our group instead?"

Kokichi grinned. "Sure!"

Shuichi looked confused. "Wait, but he's not even in our cla--" Kokichi shushed him before the detective could finish. Shuichi didn't want to state his own opinion again, seeing how that went with Kaede, so he stayed silent.

"So, all things aside, we're doing a project on different climaxes of stories and how they relate," Rantaro explained to Kokichi. "Basically comparing and contrasting. Not too difficult."

"Sounds easy," he replied. Shuichi didn't get it. Was Kokichi part of their group now? Even so, why are they still doing it in Kaede's house if Kaede supposedly quit? Speaking of which, how would Kaede find another group with the project due so soon?

Kokichi noticed Shuichi spacing out, and brought him back to reality. "Hellooooo? Stop wasting time!" He placed a bright yellow marker in Shuichi's hand.

And because Shuichi didn't want to argue, he agreed.

"Let's get to work."


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go well with the project until Shuichi goes back home to some bad news from his uncle.

Things were actually going smoothly. Kokichi, Shuichi, and Rantaro made a pretty good team. In about an hour, the three had created a poster for their English class. Problem was, they were in Kaede's house, so every time pianist passed by the trio, she would give them a look.

Her sister Kami, however, found this extremely amusing.

"Honestly, why is she still letting you do the project in her house if she's not in it?" Kami asked them.

Rantaro shrugged. "She's still gonna get a grade whether she participates or not. Maybe she doesn't want a zero."

Shuichi looked at the clock. "Oh shit, I think I have to go."

"Already??" Kokichi sighed sadly. "And I'll have to drive you home too."

"Well, all things aside, we did finish the poster. I'll keep it for tomorrow," Rantaro noted.

"Okay. Tell Kaede that Kokichi and I left if she asks." Shuichi told Rantaro. He nodded vigorously. 

"Have fun, you two. I'll see you tomorrow." Rantaro gave Shuichi that soft smile he had and waved the pair off.

\---

When Kokichi parked his car near the driveway to Shuichi's house, he noticed something off. "Is your garage usually open?" He gestured to the garage and pointed, where it was clearly open with Shuichi's uncle's car parked inside.

"U-Um..." Shuichi hesitated. This was not good. Had his uncle come home early?

Kokichi read the expression on the detective's face easily. "Wait..." He glanced at the garage again. "That's your uncle?"

Shuichi didn't respond. He stared at the ground. "I'll... I'll have to tell the truth that I left the house! A-And he'll be so mad!!" he exclaimed. 

"Oh, c'mon, don't act all pessimistic like this again," Kokichi groaned. "You don't _have_ to tell the truth, y'know."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You realize that you're talking to a professional and compulsive liar, right? Besides, lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off." Kokichi smirked at the taller one. "Just say... uh..." He trailed off, in fact not sure what to say despite seeming so confident in his abilities.

"So much for 'professional liar,'" Shuichi muttered under his breath.

"Just say that you left to the library to study!" Kokichi exclaimed suddenly.

"Yeah, right. I don't have my own car."

"It's not that far. A lot of people ride their bikes there, or even walk."

Shuichi looked at the liar's face. He wasn't sure what he saw, or what he was supposed to see. Kokichi was really trying to help him, he could see that much. Shuichi decided not to be a bitch to the kid and comply. "Fine. You have a good idea."

"Okay. Soo, I'll see you tomorrow!" Kokichi waved.

"See you..." Shuichi opened the door and got out of the car. He hoped that lying would get him out of the bad situation he was already in. He hoped his uncle didn't see that Kokichi didn't drop him off.

Most of all, Shuichi hoped that his uncle wouldn't catch on to the fact he was lying, because lying is usually not what Shuichi Saihara resorts to. However, since his uncle worked as a detective, Shuichi was well aware of the fact that his uncle probably was a good lie detector nevertheless.

He glanced back behind him. Kokichi was gone.

_Lovely._

He used his key to unlock the door and stepped in his own house. His uncle glanced up. Shuichi noticed bags under his eyes that he hadn't seen before. He saw this as a good thing. Maybe if his uncle was super tired, he wouldn't realize he was lying.

"Why are you here late? Your shift is only in an hour," his uncle asked, taking a sip out of a mug of coffee.

"Ah... I was studying in the library." Shuichi didn't know if it was super obvious he was lying. He stared at his uncle who was blankly staring back.

"Well, at least you were studying," he muttered incoherently.

"Um..." Shuichi thought of steering the subject away from him. "How did your case go? I-It was shoplifting, right?"

"Mm-hmm." Shuichi usually asked his uncle about the cases that he had to review and investigate. Technically, his uncle wasn't supposed to talk about it until the results came in, but Shuichi was always overly curious so his uncle would often describe every part of the investigation in detail. How he narrowed down suspects with clues he found from the crime scene. Or maybe how he tested powders that were found and comparing them to the ones on the suspect. No matter what it was about, whether Shuichi knew exactly what his uncle was talking about, he would listen with great intent. In fact, it was one of the few things Shuichi liked about his uncle.

"Did you find the culprit?" Sometimes, his uncle would say a name of the person convicted for the crime; other times, it would be disclosed and he wouldn't be allowed to say.

Shuichi's uncle nodded again. "He... The culprit was a high school student. They were a senior like you. Odd, don't you agree?"

Shuichi thought for a second. Usually, when his uncle says "don't you agree", it was more so that Shuichi had to agree otherwise they would get into an altercation.

"I guess so." Maybe it was even someone Shuichi knew. "What was their name?"

"Oh, I don't exactly remember. They did look quite eccentric. Their hair was poking out like this." His uncle moved his hands to Shuichi's hair and made random tufts of  it point almost horizontal to show him what he meant.

"Wow, that's... I have a fri-- I mean, I know someone with hair like that," Shuichi replied.

His uncle continued to think of the name of the suspect.

"Um, it's fine if you don't know the name. I was just wondering..."

"No, wait. It's on the tip of my tongue. Go get ready for your shift and I'll continue thinking."

Shuichi started to leave, wondering why his uncle was acting a bit nicer than he usually did. He was almost to his room when his uncle remembered the name of the suspect.

"Kokichi Ouma."

The dark-haired student turned around, not knowing what his uncle meant. "You know him?"

"Of course I do, he's the culprit. He's the guy who shoplifted."

Shuichi's eyes widened, but he looked away.

_The... culprit...? ___ **  
  
**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big yikes... what'll happen to kokichi!??????? 
> 
> Uh, anyway, sorry for the late update and as always, leave kudos if you haven't already! Hope you liked the chapter! I hope to update this more since summer is starting. So yeah!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi gets more nervous about Kokichi’s whereabouts when he finds out that the liar is absent at school. Also, he helps Kaito study for a test.

Going to school the next day was very nerve racking for Shuichi, so much that he ended up missing the bus. Now he'll have to walk to school. Fun.

Shuichi walked passed the alley where he remembered Kokichi crying a few days ago. His mind was looping on and on and on about how Kokichi was supposedly the culprit of the crime his uncle investigated.

Could Kokichi do something like shoplifting?

No, more like, would Kokichi do something like that?

Shuichi was distracted by a sudden hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Kaito. Taken aback, he said, "Can you please not put your hand on my—"

"Where's Kokichi!?" Kaito exclaimed. "I knew he was lying!"

"L-Lying? About what?" Shuichi asked.

"I have a history test today, but Kokichi said that he'll change the online grade and that I don't need to worry about it. But then, he's not even here!" Kaito was obviously really angry. Shuichi shushed him, as other students were starting to stare.

"It's fine. Maybe Kokichi is late today. School hasn't even started yet." Shuichi acted calm, but in all honesty he was nervous that something happened to Kokichi. The liar had been oddly nice to Shuichi, taking him on rides, and even giving him Panta. Shuichi wanted to repay him back. But if he had gotten in trouble for shoplifting, he might be facing some kind of punishment.

Soon, Kaede and Rantaro joined the two. Kaito complained to them about Kokichi's absence. Kaede and Rantaro didn't seem to care.

"Good, whether you fail your test or not, at least you won't be cheating," Kaede said.

"Now, I think that was a bit far..." Rantaro glanced nervously at Kaede.

"So you think he should cheat?" Kaede said.

"Well, no, but..."

"Uh, I could help Kaito study. You have history seventh, right?" Shuichi mentioned. "Maybe during lunch we can go to the library."

"See, that's what I was saying, Kaede. Now Kaito's more likely to get a better grade without cheating," Rantaro chimed in. "It's okay if I help Kaito study too, right?"

Shuichi started to nod, but Kaito shook his head very deliberately. "Nope! This is me and Shuichi's thing."

_Thing..?_

The bell rang for first period. Everyone rushed to their classes. Kaito, Rantaro, Kaede, and Shuichi all walked to their technology class together.

After taking their seats, the teacher started to take attendance like normal. Shuichi slouched in his seat, placing his arms on the table and his head in between. Someone asked why Kokichi was absent.

No one replied.

Byakuya Togami, who sat next to Shuichi, lightly tapped him on the shoulder with his expensive looking hands. "Are you sick?"

 _What a weird question_ , Shuichi thought. He muttered, "No."

"Then stop sitting like that. People will think you're sick. And if you're feeling fine, you should have no need to slouch like that," he explained with an unnaturally calm tone. This guy was already driving Shuichi nuts.

"Whatever." Shuichi looked down at the floor. He couldn't believe he has to sit next to this prick for an entire class period every day. Literally anyone would be a better table partner then him. Shuichi turned to Kaito who would usually be sitting with Kokichi in the table next to them.

Kaito whispered, "He's horrible."

Shuichi nodded. Byakuya was so stuck up.

"Like why'd he leave when he said he'd be here," Kaito continued. He gestured to Kokichi's empty seat.

"Oh." Kaito wasn't even talking about Byakuya. He was talking about Kokichi.

Shuichi turned away from Kaito. Today was going to be a long day.

***

Once it was lunchtime, Shuichi went to the library. He had reminded Kaito they were meeting there to study. As he waited for Kaito, he got out his notes about the Korean War for the history test.

Five minutes passed. There was still no Kaito.

_My God, how do you forget something like this?_

Shuichi started to leave to the cafeteria when a voice stopped him.

"You really shouldn't leave your stuff laying out here on this table, someone could take it." Shuichi turned and saw Maki sitting at another table, doing something in a binder. Not you again.

Shuichi thought about it. He slowly walked back to his stuff.

"Why are you in the library today anyway? You're not usually here," Maki questioned.

"I was going to help Kaito study. Do you know him?"

Surprise surprise, Maki nodded. "I think he's an idiot though. Even with your studying I doubt he'll pass whatever test he's taking," she said.

"W-What? Don't call him an idiot!" Shuichi argued.

"Oh, please. He's such an idiot that he forgot to come here to study with you. That's why you were about to leave, right?"

Just as Shuichi rendered speechless, the astronaut in-training entered the library, some books in his hand.

"Sorry I'm late," Kaito said.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi finishes studying with Kaito, and calls Kokichi on the bus ride home, only to notice something is off.

~~~~Just as Shuichi rendered speechless, the astronaut in-training entered the library, some books in his hand.

"Sorry I'm late," Kaito said.

Thank God, Shuichi thought. If Kaito didn't come in time, there's a serious risk that Shuichi would be murdered verbally thanks to Maki. "I was just about to look for you," he mentioned.

"Yeah, he was," Maki agreed, causing Kaito to look over at her sitting all alone. He narrowed his eyes.

"Why is she here?" he whispered rather loudly to Shuichi.

Shuichi shrugged. "Just ignore her."

Kaito gritted his teeth, but he didn't say anything. Shuichi had no idea why Kaito seemed to hate everyone. Sure, Maki wasn't the best person in the world, but... well, he shouldn't make any assumptions. Maybe Maki and Kaito has a bad past or something.

They started to study, but Kaito kept getting distracted. The guy kept on glancing at Maki every few seconds. Shuichi started to get annoyed as Kaito would not focus.

"You know what?" Shuichi said, standing up. "Let's move over there." He pointed to the other side of the huge library and picked up his stuff. Kaito hesitated, but eventually nodded and went along with Shuichi.

They continued to study, but Kaito was a lot worse student then Shuichi initially realized. Also, it seemed that Kaito was doing more eating than studying. His lunch was huge, huge enough that it could feed most of the population in Africa. Even Shuichi was getting hungry just glancing at it.

Kaito took a huge bite of sashimi and looked at Shuichi. "Studying is hard."

Shuichi tried not to grimace as Kaito was chewing with his mouth open. "I guess," he muttered back.

"But I'm not going to give up. Y'know why?" Kaito asked.

"Why?"

"Because, I'm... Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars!! I never give—"

"Shh!" the librarian said from the front desk.

Shuichi giggled a bit at how confident Kaito was. Shuichi would never be able to say something like that himself. Kaito blushed and said, "Hey! I'm just trying to follow my dreams! How is that funny?"

"Ok, sorry. I think lunch is almost over anyway." Shuichi stood up. "You wanna meet here tomorrow? I... I know you don't have any test to study for, but if there's anything else you need help with..."

Kaito hesitated. "Uh— actually, I have plans tomorrow. I'm gonna, uh, meet with someone. Sorry."

"That's fine," Shuichi said, though Kaito's wording sounded odd. He said he would meet with someone, rather than saying he would be eating lunch with someone. Was Kaito meeting said person somewhere else? Damnit Saihara, stop being a detective all the time.

"So I'll see you in Art." Shuichi waved bye.

"I'll tell you how the test went!" Kaito replied as he leaved.

—

Later that day, Shuichi headed to his Art class. He hoped Kaito had gotten a good grade on the test. When he walked in, he spotted the space-lover in the corner talking with a muscular looking dude. Shuichi felt a bit intimidated by the new person but still sat next to Kaito, not wanting to be rude.

"Oh, hey there Shuichi! Have you met Mondo Owa— OW!!" Kaito was cut off when the other guy, apparently Mondo, elbowed him.

"What did I say about introductions?" Mondo muttered in a menacing tone as he gritted his teeth at Kaito.

Kaito muttered an apology, which was shocking to Shuichi. Kaito usually tried to be the superior and more confident person in the conversation.

"Anyway, name's Mondo. Mess with me, and you're fucking dead." Mondo offered his hand to Shuichi, who took it nervously. What kind of introduction was that anyway?

Shuichi stayed silent, not wanting to make Mondo mad with anything he said. Kaito tried to stay silent too, but he was a lot more talkative then Shuichi. Eventually, Kaito started to complain about Kokichi.

"Kokichi is such a little bastard for not being here! He always tries to prove he's better than me too!" Kaito exclaimed as he started to draw a galaxy in the art sketchbook.

"Kokichi? Who's that?" Mondo asked Kaito.

"Ah, well, he's my classmate. He's an annoying person, honestly. He calls me an idiot and stuff when I'm obviously not," Kaito explained.

"Damn! That guy's got something against you! I think I know something you could do." Mondo scooted his seat closer to Kaito.

Shuichi was listening on their conversation, but didn't say anything. He wondered what Mondo's so-called "idea" could be.

"What could I do?" Kaito said.

"See, there was this dude that kinda... pissed me off for some time, I guess," Mondo replied. "But, we had a sauna battle, and it was all solved! So, if you and Kokichi have a sauna battle, I'm sure your issue will be gone too."

"Sauna battle? What's that?"

"Basically, you two go in the sauna, and whoever stays in there longer will win. And whoever wins—"

"—will be superior!! I get it!" Kaito exclaimed in realization.

"That's not what I meant but—"

"Thanks Mondo!" Kaito grinned to himself. Shuichi looked at him and wondered how the hell they would have a sauna battle anyway. There was no sauna in school, and he doubted that either of the two had a sauna at their house. Actually, in general, anyone who would have a sauna in their house would be hella rich. And Shuichi knew only one person that was hella rich...

"Rantaro! He has a sauna in his house! Me and Kokichi will visit, then the sauna battle will commence!" Kaito thought aloud. He glanced at Shuichi, seeming to just realize his existence. "See, Shuichi, ya gotta give me ideas like that."

 _Damn it._ Even with Shuichi being silent, Kaito was annoyed at him. "Sorry."

The bell rang soon after, and Shuichi took extra care to take the longer route to his locker just to avoid Kaito. He was really mad at himself, for almost no reason at all. Shuichi shook it off. It was probably his worry for Kokichi settling in. 

Shuichi decided to call Kokichi after school, hoping for a small conversation and about what Kaito planned to do with him soon. And, of course, asking why he was absent.

As he took he bus from school, Shuichi opened his smartphone and scrolled through his contacts list. He saw a lot of classmates from his old school, which made him think back to the past. His old school was a lot more strict then this new one. Now, Shuichi had more freedom, more friends, and most, importantly, a better school lunch. His old school had none of that.

Shuichi snapped back to the present, remembering to call Kokichi. When he clicked on his contact, Shuchi saw that Kokichi had put in two cell phone numbers. That was weird. Did Kokichi have two phones?

Shuichi clicked the first number and held his phone to his ear. There were exactly 11 rings before the call went to voicemail. Which sucked. But at least there was a second number to call.

He hit the second number, hoping for an answer. After 6 rings, the call went through.

"Hello?" Shuichi asked. He put a hand over his other ear, since the bus was pretty loud. When he glanced up, he saw three guys spitroasting each other. Grimacing, Shuichi stared at his shoes. There was still no sound from the other side. "Anyone there?"

Actually, there was a little sound on the other side. Something at least.

Shuichi was pretty sure it was Kokichi's voice. The liar had a very distinct voice.

What he wasn't sure was why Kokichi had whispered the word, "Help." 

When Shuichi started to reply, he heard the line cut off and the call end. He didn't have any time to be angry, as it was his stop. Shuichi got off the bus, his hands balled into fists. He wished he hadn't called Kokichi. Now he was a lot more doubtful about the liar's safety.

"GOD DAMMIT!!" Shuichi yelled as he threw his phone onto the concrete in his driveway. He watched the glass shatter into pieces. Wait, no.

That was his phone. That was worth hundreds of dollars. Tears appeared in Shuichi's eyes. If he couldn't even save his fucking phone, how was he supposed to save Kokichi from whatever had happened to him?"

"What are you doing?" he heard a voice come from his left. "You sound like Pewdiepie when he lost his horse, Jörgen."

Was that an insult? Shuichi look up and saw Maki for the second time today. "Can y-you... leave?"

Maki shrugged. "Sure, whatever. I don't know whatever happened to you, but I hope you feel better, I guess." She hopped back into her house, leaving Shuichi alone outside.

Shuichi glanced at his phone, lightly touching all the cracks on the screen. He could never fix this without his uncle finding out. Shuichi wasn't sure if he could even fix it at all. As he stared at the broken glass with his blurry vision, he saw the screen light up with a text from Kokichi. Thought there were small jagged lines showing the cracks, Shuchi could read the text easily.

He didn't want to read it, but he did.

The message was an address. Nothing showing how Kokichi felt, why he was absent at school. Just an address.

Shuchi didn't know why, but somehow that made him more mad than he already was.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, that was a lot. I guess. I’m glad this story got spicier though! 
> 
> Uhh, well, I wonder where Kokichi is????????


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi meets with Rantaro and the two discuss what exactly happened to Kokichi.

"Hello?"

"Ah, yeah. Hey. Is it okay if I go to your house? Sorry I'm saying this now? It's kinda important."

"I guess. Do you want me to pick you up? Or..."

"Thanks, but I think I can just take the subway."

"Oh, uh, my house is really far from any metro station. Do you have your own car?"

"No."

"Maybe I can call you a Über?"

"No no! That's pretty expensive! I should—"

"It's fine! Kaede wasn't wrong when she said I'm rich. It's nothing, I promise. Here, I'll get one right now. What's your address?"

Shuichi reluctantly told him his address.

"Okay, thanks. It should come in about 6 minutes. Anything else?"

"Oh, well, ah," Shuichi hesitated. "I've never rode in a taxi or Über before. Is there like, anything I should do?"

"Don't talk to the driver when you're in the car, because that always gets awkward and unnecessary. Also, in case it's someone trying to kidnap you or something, ask the driver for your name. If they don't say Shuichi, you probably shouldn't get in."

"Wow, ah, that's... okay.

"Pretty simple though. I'll see you in a few minutes then?"

"Yeah. See you."

Shuichi placed the telephone back down and stared at the wall. There seemed to be so much to do today and not much time to do it. And it was especially hard now that Shuichi couldn't use his mobile phone properly. There were so many cracks on the screen, that Shuichi was pretty sure it would cost less to buy a new phone then to fix his current one. Still, he had put it into a Ziplock bag for the time being so his fingers don't get cut if he ever somehow does use his phone.

He carefully placed the Ziplock bag into his pocket and wrote down the address that Kokichi had sent him. The address was on a street Shuichi had never heard of, near an area that was farther from the city.

Soon, the Über had arrived and Shuichi stared out the window, vaguely noticing the foreign car parked near his house. He realized he needed to go, so he quickly got out of the house and ran to the car. Shuichi almost waked to the front seat before remembering that you usually sit in the back.

Just as the guy in front was about to drive off, Shuichi quickly asked, "Oh, u-um, what's my name?"

It sounded so dumb, to ask a question like that. Of course Shuichi knew his own name. But he'd rather be awkward then kidnapped. At least, that's what he thinks, since Shuichi's never been kidnapped. Maybe being kidnapped wasn't too bad. In the few movies where people get kidnapped, it just seemed kind of boring to be strapped down and blindfolded with nothing to do.

"Shuichi, right?" the driver replied.

It felt odd hearing a stranger say Shuichi's name. "Yes." Shuichi reached into his pocket for his mobile phone before he remembered that it was almost beyond use. He sighed and looked out the window instead.

The drive was relatively short, and even without saying anything it felt awkward. When it stopped, Shuichi started to pay, but then the man said, "You don't need to pay anymore. You already paid when you ordered the Über."

But Shuichi hadn't ordered it, Rantaro did. Which meant Rantaro paid for it. Godammit.

When Shuichi got out, it seemed less like a mansion in front of him, more like a full

on skyscraper. Was this really Rantaro's house? He was very doubtful until he inched closer to the porch area and saw a sign with "Amami" written near it. So Rantaro did live here...

(In Japan, most houses have the family name on some sort of sign next to it so you know who lives there.)

Shuichi rang the doorbell and stared up at the many floors of the huge house. There were so many that it started to make him dizzy.

He was snapped back to reality when he noticed the door had been opened and Rantaro stood there. Now that Shuichi could see the inside of the house, he could tell there were a bunch of small little girls with light green hair like Rantaro's playing some kind of game.

Rantaro noticed Shuichi looking at the girls and said, "Those are all my sisters and my step-sisters, haha." He gestured for Shuichi to come in.

"Oh... you have... a lot of sisters," Shuichi said. "How'd you take care of them all."

"Oh, you think I watch them all the time? No, we have a maid who's also their nanny. But I do know how to paint nails because I do that a lot," Rantaro explained.

"That's... wow. I don't have any siblings," Shuichi said.

"Well, at least that means your house is quiet most of the time. It's so hard to study here because of my sisters. Which is why I usually study with Kaede."

"Ah, I see."

"Let's go to my room," Rantaro said. He held the detective's hand for no apparent reason as he walked Shuichi to his room.

"Woah," Shuichi breathed. "Even your room is huge."

Rantaro blushed a bit. "Haha, thanks. So what was it you wanted to tell me about? You said it was important, but you haven't mentioned it yet."

"Right." Shuichi reaches for the Ziplok bag with his broken phone in it. He got it out and Rantaro's eyes widened at the sight.

"Wow. How'd this happen?" Rantaro asked, pointing at the cracked glass.

"Oh, that's not the problem," Shuichi said. "Well, I mean, it is, but... okay, well, there's two problems."

"Alright. Well, I have a spare phone if you want it."

"How do you just happen to have a spare phone?" Shuichi questioned.

"Basically, I thought I lost my phone, so my dad got a new one, but then I found the first phone. So I've just always had an extra one." Rantaro started to walk over to a dresser and pulled it open. There was nothing there except a phone and charger.

"And he never returned it," Shuichi said sarcastically.

"He let me keep it 'just in case'."

Shuichi wasn't sure how to believe that.

"Oh, please, don't look at me like that. Doesn't Kokichi have two phones as well?" Rantaro asked.

"Kokichi..." Shuichi muttered. "I almost forgot something important I needed to say!" he exclaimed.

"What is it?"

"Kokichi, well, I tried to call him on one of his phones after school but it didn't work. So I tried his second phone and it picked up. But, u-uh..."

"Was all you heard 'Help' really quietly on the other end? And he sent you an address?" Rantaro finished.

Shuichi glanced up in surprise. "How did you know?"

"Of course, you're not the only one who called Kokichi. But, yeah. I've tracked down the address and was planning to drive there this evening, so I can—" Rantaro suddenly stopped speaking. The door opened, and a young lady walked in with a maid's dress on.

"Hello, Rantaro," she said. Her tone was very soft and mother-like. But she was definitely too young to be an actual mother. "Have you seen Rini, your sister? I've been looking for her for some time."

"Rini's out with some friends, I think."

"Oh, okay. I'm glad I asked, I didn't want to waste time looking for her if she wasn't even here." She said thanks and left.

"Is that your maid?" Shuichi asked.

"Yeah, her name's Kirumi Tojo. She's really young for a maid, am I right?"

Shuichi nodded. "Isn't she famous or something?"

"Mm-hmm. She's really good at her job." Rantaro looked backed at Shuichi's cracked phone and took in a breath. "Anyway, I've tracked down the address that Kokichi sent."

"Where is it?" Shuichi asked.

"It's like some abandoned warehouse of some sort," Rantaro said. "Here, I'll show you." He got out his own phone and showed Shuichi the satellite image.

"Oh, I've in that area one time. It's actually near my uncle's detective agency," Shuichi noted.

"Good. You can drive us there then." Rantaro pulled out some car keys and lightly tossed them to Shuichi as he left into his closet to get an overcoat on.

Shuichi stared at his hand. "Wait, we're going right now!?"

"The hardest choices require the strongest wills," Rantaro replied.

Shuichi stood up, even more confused. "Isn't that a quote from Thanos?"

Rantaro shrugged. "Reality is often disappointing."

Shuichi groaned. This was supposed to be more serious than funny. He put his phone away and looked at the keys Rantaro gave him. Shuichi hated driving and avoided doing it himself as much as possible. It's not that he couldn't drive, it's that he was scared.

So many people die in car accidents every day. Shuichi didn't want to be one of those people.

"Are you ready to go?" Rantaro said. He wore a sweater as the weather was getting colder recently.

Shuichi stood up. "Y-Yeah. I guess we should go. I don't want to waste any time."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. ok yes rantaro would totally also call kokichi because he was worried too 
> 
> 2\. and yes kirumi's their maid but she's also a high school student at the same time
> 
> 3\. shuichi is scared of driving because yes. he's an awkward and nervous boi and when you put that with driving it's not fun
> 
> bye! kudo, subscribe, and thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi and Rantaro arrive at the address Kokichi sent, and they find a surprise.

Shuichi and Rantaro headed into the garage, where multiple designer brand cars sat. Shuichi gaped at the expensive vehicles. "One of these is yours?"

"Haha, ah, yeah," Rantaro admitted. He pointed to a silver Ferrari that was on the left. "We're going in this one."

"W-Wow... I..." Shuichi didn't know what to say. He's never rode in a Ferrari before. Before Shuichi could respond properly, Rantaro had gotten into the driver's seat of the car. Shuichi nervously sat on the passenger's side while Rantaro put in the address of the location into his phone for navigation. "Are you just allowed to leave like this?"

"Yeah, I mean, I already told Kirumi who'll tell my parents when they come home." Rantaro looked straight ahead as he started to drive. He absentmindedly glanced at Shuichi's confused expression. "What, are you not allowed to?"

"Not really."

"Wow, your parents sound pretty strict," Rantaro told him. "You should tell them that you can be more independent."

"I mean, I should, but every time I mention it, my uncle gets mad," Shuichi explained.

"Your uncle? What happened to your parents?" Rantaro asked as he stopped at a traffic light.

Shuichi watched the light turn green and replied, "They travel abroad a lot, so I live with my uncle and his wife. But they divorced and we moved here."

"Wow, that's... kind of sad. Don't you miss your parents?"

"Ah..." Shuichi glanced down and fiddled with his hands. "Not really, they didn't treat me very well. But it's fine now."

"Where did you live before here?"

"I lived in Kyoto."

"Oh, cool. I've been there a few times." Rantaro continued to drive.

"Do you know how far this place is?" Shuichi asked. "We've been driving for some time."

"Maybe 20 or 30 more minutes," Rantaro guessed. "At least, that's what the navigation says."

"Okay." Shuichi started to get out his phone, but when he felt the plastic of the Ziplok bag, he remembered it was cracked.

Rantaro must have noticed what Shuichi was doing, because he said, "You can start using the phone I gave you. Sorry I didn't give it to you properly earlier." He took one of his hands off the steering wheel as he searched in his pocket and pulled out the cell phone.

"Wow, thanks," Shuichi smiled as Rantaro handed it to him. He turned it on and entered on his account password. Then Shuichi carefully opened the plastic bag with his cracked phone and attempted to get the SIM card out.

That took up most of his time, and by the time Shuichi had finished setting up his new phone, Rantaro parked his car on the side of the street. Shuichi recognized the street vaguely, because he had drove here with his uncle once to tour the detective agency. It was starting to get dark, which was a huge yikes for Shuichi. He didn't know what his excuse would be this time.

"H-Hey, um... sorry I'm mentioning this now, but I'm afraid my uncle will be mad if he doesn't see me when he comes home."

"It'll be fine," Rantaro absentmindedly said. "Just say that you were studying with me. I'll be your alibi."

Shuichi sighed. He wasn't sure if his uncle would believe him. Shuichi tried not to think about it as he got out of the car, the evening wind blowing his hair. He could see the sun starting to set on the horizon. Rantaro stood next to him. "You nervous?"

"Yeah, a little," Shuichi admitted. But he didn't want to stop now. They stood in the front of the abandoned building. How could Kokichi be stuck in a place like this?

"I'm gonna turn on my flashlight on my cell phone," Rantaro said quietly as he pressed the flashlight button pointed it in front of the two.

There was a set of stairs near the entrance. "Why don't I go downstairs and you look upstairs?" Shuichi suggested.

Rantaro nodded. "Good idea. No wonder you're a detective."

"I'm not a detective," Shuichi muttered as he turned on his own flashlight and went downstairs.

Shuichi was surprised to see the lights on downstairs, until they suddenly flickered off. That was a bit suspicious. Was somebody in here? Shuichi aimed his flashlight at a table, where a few bottles of Panta sat. Yeah, Kokichi is definitely here.

He looked around a bit more, until his eye caught a piece of paper on the wall. Shuichi moved the flashlight and read the paper.

_Nishishishishi~ didjaactually think I was here? Wow lol, y'all are so dumb, I'm fine and I'm at my house. Omg this is the best prank I've pulled in a long time. I can't wait to see you at school._

Shuichi stared at the paper. Somehow, this outcome was worse then finding Kokichi. "You've got to be kidding me," he said.

Rantaro heard Shuichi and rushed downstairs. "Are you okay?" he asked, only to find the detective-in-training gazing at the paper on the wall. "What is that?"

"Just read it." Shuichi sat in a chair nearby and buried his head in his hands. He couldn't believe he had been fooled this easily. Of course Kokichi would do something like that.

A moment later, Rantaro let out a laugh. "My God. This is horrible. This is... oh my God."

"We literally just came here for no reason," Shuichi mumbled.

"Well... not for no reason," Rantaro said. "Because you came, you got a new phone, and we got to talk and stuff."

"Yeah, I guess... but..." Shuichi trailed off. This made him so mad and frustrated, but at the same time, Shuichi was glad that Kokichi was safe.

"Don't worry. I'm annoyed too. This is worse than being rick-rolled. Like I said earlier..."

"...Reality is often disappointing, I know," Shuichi said. "Now that I think about it, Thanos quotes are really deep."

"Really." Rantaro laughed. "They do have some meaning, I guess. I just say them randomly for the memes."

"I don't look at memes that often," Shuichi replied. "But I have watched a lot of Marvel movies."

Rantaro shrugged as the two went back upstairs and into the car. "You're on the right track, I guess. Have you heard of Pewdiepie?"

"No...?"

"Then you have a lot to learn, my dude." Rantaro ruffled Shuichi's hair and started to drive off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. yikes okay where to start
> 
> 2\. yes kokichi is liar 1000000 he would totally prank these two
> 
> 3\. and i kind of headcanon rantaro as a meme dude? like since he's pretty chill he'd just, like, casually look at memes in his free time? you know?
> 
> 4\. on the other hand, shuichi would like barely know anything about memes, because like, why would he?? he just cares about his grades and stuff
> 
> 5\. also, yes, kokichi is safe and sound, but that still doesn't explain why he wasn't at school?? so that will be explained soon i think
> 
> 6\. also if you didn’t know yet i’m updating every other thursday because of school and stuff


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rantaro tells Shuichi a lot on the drive home.

"So, Water Sheep is basically this sheep that is stuck in a water current. But Pewds hates Water Sheep. Like, he tried to torture the sheep but one day Water Sheep died because of the torture. So then Pewdiepie built a bunch of stuff for Water Sheep, like a church, and a grave. And also, his horse, Joergen #2, died whenever he put him in a minecart and he suffocated. It's really sad, honestly, I wish Pewdiepie took better care of his animals. At least his dog, Sven is still alive so—"

"Are you done?" Shuichi groaned. Rantaro had been talking about some YouTuber's Minecraft playthrough for almost 10 minutes straight. "I've never even played Minecraft before."

Rantaro's jaw dropped. "C'mon, I know Minecraft isn't super popular now, but you did at least play it when you were a kid, right?"

"Not really. It cost money and my uncle doesn't want to me buy games," Shuichi replied.

"Your uncle sounds really strict from what I've heard," Rantaro said.

"Yeah, that's what Kokichi said too."

"Well, you can always get Minecraft now, cuz it's only like 8 bucks. And you can illegally download the older version on the school computers and play it for free during your Computer Science class."

"I guess I can do that..." Shuichi trailed off until he realized what Rantaro had said. "Wait, illegally download!?"

"Yeah." Rantaro turned and saw Shuichi's shocked expression. "I dunno why you're so surprised. It's like with movie bootlegs. Technically illegal, but probably won't land you in jail."

"I don't want to do something illegal..." Shuichi said nervously. "I'll just buy the game... legally."

"Sure, that's fine too," Rantaro replied. He pulled into the lot for Shuichi's house.

Shuichi had been nervous the entire ride that his uncle would be at his house waiting for him. He didn't want to go home, but he did nevertheless and hoped for the best.

"Thanks for the ride, Rantaro. Though I feel really dumb for doing all that for nothing..." Shuichi admitted.

"It's fine. I'd much rather go with you then go by myself," Rantaro said.

"You could've gone with Kaede... or Kaito."

"Are you kidding me?" Rantaro laughed. "Kaede would never do something like this, she'd think it's a waste of time. And Kaito has... y'know, I don't even know what he has with Kokichi. It's like a weird love/hate relationship. He probably wouldn't want to help out."

Shuichi sighed. "I guess that's a good point. So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

"No, today's Friday. No school tomorrow," Rantaro said. 

"Oh, right." Shuichi laughed awkwardly. "My bad."

"See you on Monday."

"Yeah." Shuichi opened the door and left the car. He checked his new phone's time. It was almost midnight. Yikes. 

Shuichi had a key to the house, so he opened the door quietly and tiptoed his way inside. Luckily, his uncle was asleep. There was a bottle of beer on the nightstand table next to him. Shuichi let out a sigh of relief.

—

Shuichi woke up at 5am to the sound of his phone buzzing.

"My god, who could it be at this time?" Shuichi muttered. He was annoyed and wanted to sleep. Shuichi attempted to close his eyes but the sounds of his phone vibrating kept on waking him up. He was a very light sleeper.

Eventually, Shuichi just got pissed and grabbed his phone from next to him, reading all the messages. It seemed that Kaede had made a group chat with herself, Rantaro, Kokichi, Kaito, and Shuichi.

**Kaede** : Hey I just added Shuichi to the group chat

**Kaito** : Thats good yay

**Rantaro** : Ooh btw i have tea

**Kaede** : Spill

**Rantaro** : So y'know how Kokichi was absent yesterday?

**Kaede** : Yeah what about it

**Rantaro** : Well basically when me and Shuichi tried to call him he said "Help" and sent an address

**Rantaro** : And then Shuichi came over and asked me about it

**Kaito** : Wait holdup

**Kaito** : Kokichi needs help??

**Rantaro** : Thats what he said

**Kaede** : Omg

**Kaede** : Was that why he wasn't at school?

**Rantaro** : Lemme finish ok

**Rantaro** : So me and Shuichi went to the address and it turns out

**Rantaro** : He pranked us!!

**Kaede** : No way

**Kaede** : Thats so mean

**Kaito** : That piece of..

**Kaito** : UGhhHhHhH

**Rantaro** : I have to admit it was funny

**Rantaro** : But I wasted a bunch of time driving there

**Kaede** : Thats not funny at all!!

**Kaito** : I'm so glad I'll have a sauna battle with him to settle things

**Kaede** : Wait

**Rantaro** : Sauna battle? i have a sauna at my house but like

**Kaito** : Oh yeah I didn't tell you guys about it

**Kaito** : My friend Mondo told me that I should have a sauna battle and that will decide who's superior

**Kaito** : Like we'll sit in the sauna and whoever stays longer wins

**Kaede** : oop

**Rantaro** : uh ok but where are you gonna find a sauna

**Kaito** : Dont you have one in your house?

**Rantaro** : oh yeah i do

**Kaede** : what a dumb idea

**Kaede** : You two are seriously so childish

**Rantaro** : Hey Kaede

**Kaede** : What

**Rantaro** : why don't we do a sauna battle too

**Kaede** : You mean like...

**Kaede** : Me and you?

**Rantaro** : ya

**Kaede** : Uh no

**Rantaro** : Lmao ok

**Shuichi** : Guyss.. you all just woke me up...

**Rantaro** : oop ok

**Shuichi** : sigh

**Kaede** : Is what Rantaro said about Kokichi true?

**Shuichi** : Um let me scroll up

**Shuichi** : Oh yeah that's what we did yesterday

**Kaito** : I can't believe you believed what Kokichi said

**Shuichi** : Yeah

**Rantaro** : i'm gonna play Minecraft

**Kaito** : Oh can I play with you

**Rantaro** : sure

**Rantaro** : bye guys

**Kaede** : I'm not sure why you play Minecraft so much. it looks so pixelated. but you do you

**Kaede** : See you

**Shuichi** : Bye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. sorry about the really late update 
> 
> 2\. i also ended in a weird spot but just live with it i guess
> 
> 3\. hope you liked it


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